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The Major System (also called the phonetic number system or phonetic mnemonic system) is a mnemonic technique used to aid in memorising numbers.
The system works by converting numbers into consonant sounds, then into words by adding vowels. The system supposes that words can be remembered more easily than the numbers, especially when using other mnemonic rules which call for the words to be visual and emotive.
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The system
Each numeral is associated with several consonants. Vowels and the consonants w, h and y are ignored. These can be used as "fillers" to make sensible words from the resulting consonant sequences. The most popular sequence is:
| Numeral | Associated Consonants | Mnemomic |
| 0 | s, z, soft c | "z" is the first letter of zero. The other letters have a similar sound. |
| 1 | d, t | d & t have one downstroke and sound similar (some variant systems include "th") |
| 2 | n | n has two downstrokes |
| 3 | m | M has three downstrokes and looks like a "3" on its side |
| 4 | r | last letter of four, also 4 and R are almost mirror images of each other |
| 5 | l | L is the Roman Numeral for 50 |
| 6 | j, sh, soft "ch", dg, zh, soft "g" | a script j has a lower loop / g is almost a 6 flipped over |
| 7 | k, hard c, hard g, hard "ch", q, qu | capital K "contains" two sevens |
| 8 | f, v | script f resembles a figure-8. V sounds similar. (some variant systems include th) |
| 9 | b, p | p is a mirror-image 9. b sounds similar and resembles a 9 rolled around |
| Unassigned | Vowel sounds, w,h,y | These can be used anywhere without changing a word's number value |
Each numeral maps to a set of similar sounds with similar mouth and tongue positions. The link is phonetic, that is to say, it is the consonant sounds that matter, not the spelling. Therefore a word like action would encode the number 762 (k-ch-n), not 712 (k-t-n); and ghost would be 701 (g-z-t), while, because the gh in enough is pronounced like an f, the word enough encodes the number 28 (n-f). Similarly, double letters are disregarded. The word missile is mapped to 305 (m-z-l), not 3005 (m-z-z-l). To encode 3005 one would use something like mossy sail. Often the mapping is compact. Hindquarters, for example, translates unambiguously to 2174140 (n-d-qu-r-t-r-z), which amounts to 7 digits encoded by 8 letters, and can be easily visualized.
The system is also employed with phone numbers. One would typically make up multiple words, preferably a sentence, or an ordered sequence of images featuring the owner of the number.
The groups of similar sounds and the rules for applying the mappings are almost always fixed, but other hooks and mappings can be used as long as the person using the system can remember them and apply them consistently. The magician Derren Brown, for instance, chooses the number 5 to map to the f and v sounds because the word 'five' uses both of those sounds.
The Major System can be combined with a peg system for remembering lists, and is sometimes used also as a method of generating the pegs. It can also be combined with other memory techniques such as rhyming, substitute words, or the method of loci. Repetition and concentration using the ordinary memory is still required.
An advantage of the major system is that it is possible to use a computer to automatically translate the number into a set of words. One can then pick the best of several alternatives.
History
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This section appears to contradict itself. Please help fix this problem. (September 2009) |
Both the method of loci and the major system were taught to schoolchildren for centuries, at least until 1584, "when Puritan reformers declared it unholy for encouraging bizarre and irreverent images."[1] The same objection can be made over the major system, with or without the method of loci. Mental images may be easier to remember if they are insulting, violent, or obscene (see Von Restorff effect)[citation needed].
The major system was devised by Stanislaus Mink von Wennsshein 300 years ago. It was later elaborated upon by other users. In 1730, Richard Grey set forth a complicated system that used both consonants and vowels to represent the digits. In 1808 Gregor von Feinaigle introduced the improvement of representing the digits by consonant sounds (but reversed the values of 8 and 9 compared to those listed above). The system described in this article was popularized by Harry Lorayne, a best selling contemporary author on memory. Variants on it continue to be proposed, such as the Human Character System[citation needed].
See also
References
- ^ Brown, Derren (2006), Tricks of the Mind, Transworld Publishers, ISBN 9781905026265.
- Lorayne, Harry and Lucas, Jerry, The Memory Book: The Classic Guide to Improving Your Memory at Work, at School, at Play Ballantine Books; Reissue edition (1996) ISBN 0-345-41002-5.
- History of the Major System
- Mind Tools - The Major System
- Pseudonumerology Totally dedicated to the Major System.
- University of Amsterdam - Online Memory Improvement Course is an online step-by-step tutorial of the Phonetic Mnemonic System
- Human Memory Online training for the Major System
External links
Software
- Improve Memory 2.0 Software - Memory improvement software that is used in School of Phenomenal Memory.
- 2Know is free Windows software for converting numbers to words (English, German, French).
- Mnemisis Another free mnemonic program - runs on Linux, Mac OS X, and Windows
- iCue:Memory for iPhone (iTunes Link)
Other
- An applied example of the Mnemonic major system
- Memory Improvement and Learning Information
- Homepage of World Memory Championships
- Online keyword search Find phonetic major system keywords for 13,000 numbers with this simple database search tool
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
